


Dawn by the Sea

by SilverKitsune



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: IDOLiSH7 Part 3 Spoilers, IDOLiSH7 Part 4 Spoilers, Iori makes a cameo, Little Mermaid AU, M/M, but they're vague
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:28:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24119545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverKitsune/pseuds/SilverKitsune
Summary: A merman and a human can only meet where the land and the sea meet. But where there's a will, there's a way, and sometimes, that's all it takes. Written in celebration of Mermay 2020.
Relationships: Izumi Mitsuki/Rokuya Nagi
Kudos: 26





	Dawn by the Sea

Mitsuki's footsteps crunched in the sand as he walked his way down the beach in the early predawn light with a single lantern to light his way. The chilly morning ocean breeze swept by, and he paused, shifting the bag he was carrying over his shoulder to free a hand to pull his cloak tighter around himself. He kept walking past familiar trees and rocky outcroppings, listening to the waves crash up onto the beach in time to the sound of his footsteps in the sand, until he heard a familiar voice echoing out from a small hidden cave.

Stopping outside the cave, he went to the small driftwood pile he'd stashed there, grabbing a few logs from it before stepping into the receding tide and into the darkness of the cave. Mitsuki smiled as he caught the familiar sight of a long golden tail half submerged in water.

The song stopped with a gasp of excitement. “Oh! Mitsuki you're here!”

As usual, Nagi was perched on a flat rock that jutted out of the water near the cave entrance, a spot that allowed his tail to be comfortably wet while he sang as he waited. He slid off the rock, pearlescent scales catching the dim lantern light, and scooted himself up along the sand to the little circle of rocks where Mitsuki was setting down the driftwood he'd brought in with him.

“Good morning, Nagi,” Mitsuki greeted as Nagi pulled himself up alongside him. Setting down the lantern, he gave Nagi a hug before continuing, “Did you miss me?”

“Always,” Nagi all but whined. “But I know. You have things you must do to look after your people.”

“I missed you too,” Mitsuki said as he worked on starting the fire. A small blaze soon lit up the small cave, lighting up the little decorations, a mix of sparkling glass beads and colorful sea shells they'd put up in their little meeting spot over the years, strung up just out of reach of high tide when it came in.

It seemed not so long ago that Mitsuki was bringing in simple picture books to Nagi to teach him about life on land, of what various human tools were used for – starting with forks as eating utensils, not … ear fin decorations.

But now, now that Mitsuki was old enough, and it was time to pick - he shook his head. Here, in his special place for his closest and dearest childhood friend, was no place to think of what he wished could be, and focus on the _now_ of being in Nagi's company.

Even if … even if it might be the last time.

“Mitsuki?” Nagi asked, head cocked, concern clear in his eyes. “Is something the matter?”

“It's – it's nothing,” Mitsuki covered. He could tell Nagi later that today might be the last time he might be able to come out to the little cave. The ball was in a week … and after that he was expected to court and marry his pick of partner. “I just have a lot on my mind today.”

“Then perhaps I might have just the thing to distract your worries, even for just a little bit,” Nagi said. A small flourish, and suddenly Mitsuki found himself staring at an orange-white scallop shell. A makeshift gift box, no doubt, containing some trinket or other Nagi had found in the sea – it was a human tradition the merman became very attached to, and something he had taken to, well, like the water, if Mitsuki were being honest.

“A little gift, for you.”

It wasn't the first time Nagi had come bearing presents; at first it was various items he'd found in shipwrecks that he'd kept in his secret stash underwater, but then one day, he'd come bearing a perfect flawless pearl, one that had left the royal jewelcrafters in the palace puzzled at where Mitsuki had managed to get a hold of such a rare find, but at Mitsuki's request – command, really - they'd set it into a pendant and put it on a chain for him. Nagi had all but screamed for joy at their next meeting when he saw Mitsuki wearing it around his neck.

Mitsuki took the scallop shell box in his hands and opened it, the cave suddenly very quiet save for the sounds of the fire crackling in the background. Inside, nested on the middle of a piece of sea sponge, was a delicate hair clip, one made of the finest coral Mitsuki had ever laid eyes on, with opalescent shells arranged into an outspread stylized yellow-blue fin, an exact match to the ones that extended from Nagi's ears. Small tiny cylindrical shells dangled underneath the fin, and as Mitsuki picked up the hair clip, they chimed like water cascading down a rock from a withdrawing wave.

Mitsuki turned to Nagi. “It's beautiful, where did you-”

“I made it,” Nagi declared, his eyes suddenly intense in the firelight. Mitsuki looked away, unsure of what to do. There was that same _something_ in Nagi's eyes that had been there that same day he gave Mitsuki the pearl, and it was something that made Mitsuki all too aware of everything that was _Nagi_.

Nagi, whose voice could be louder than a ship's bell, but sing sweeter and more beautifully than any singer Mitsuki had ever heard in his life; Nagi, whose seemingly freezing cold touch and clawed hands could be as gentle as the sea at low tide; Nagi, whose statue-perfect face and striking ocean blue eyes could melt into a smile warmer and brighter than the sun.

Mitsuki looked away, and set the hair clip back into the box.

“Nagi, I can't. I-” Mitsuki paused as he saw the confusion cross Nagi's face. “There's a masquerade ball in a month. According to tradition, I'm supposed to choose my Consort there. They're supposed to help me rule when I take the throne but … but what if I choose the wrong person, what if they end up hating me, what if-”

Nagi wrapped his own hands around Mitsuki's as he leaned in close, his eyes locked onto Mitsuki's. “Don't worry, keep it, and wear it to your ball.”

“But-”

“What is that human saying? Oh yes. 'Where there's a will, there's a way',” Nagi recited, a confident smile on his face. “Everything will work out. Trust me.”

Nagi sat back, waving a clawed hand in the air. “But this is much to heavy for our usual meeting. What did you bring with you today?”

Mitsuki was sure this was a deliberate distraction, an obvious attempt by Nagi to cheer him up, to at least bring some sort of a smile to his face to leave him with some kind of a happy memory in the end – one of the merman's favorite questions to ask was “Are you happy?” after all. And despite the anxiety, Mitsuki let him. He didn't want to leave Nagi with a sad memory in the end either, so he wiped off all traces of his tears and went back to his bag and the books he'd carefully kept dry on his trek over.

And by the time the sun peeked over the horizon, signaling to Mitsuki it was time to head back to the castle, he felt a little calmer than he did before he came, even if it was their last goodbye.

* * *

The next week, there was no singing voice waiting for him at the cave. And even though Mitsuki waited at the cave, long after the sun rose, looking up at every splash of water, not once did he catch a glimpse of golden pearlescent scales or sparkling blue eyes. For the first time in 6 years, Mitsuki went home without meeting Nagi in the cave.

* * *

The following week, Mitsuki went again, and again, Nagi didn't come. Maybe he'd upset Nagi when he brought up the masquerade ball. Maybe he'd been mistaken thinking that they were friends all this time despite their differences. It wasn't like a merperson and a human could ever really live together – merpeople couldn't walk on land, and humans couldn't breathe underwater after all. And who knew how long merpeople lived? For all Mitsuki knew, the were nigh-immortal, and he was just an idle acquaintance, a curiosity, in the eternity that was a merperson's lifespan.

* * *

The final week, the morning of the ball, Mitsuki went to the cave one last time, this time, with a message sealed inside the glass bottle. He was determined, at least, to attempt to make things right if he'd upset Nagi in some way. And so he'd come with a message in a bottle, filled it up with some rocks to make sure the tide wouldn't sweep it away.

He'd included an invitation to the ball inside, along with a simple message:  _I wish you could be there._

Maybe, maybe if he couldn't be there, even if that meeting two weeks ago had been their last, Nagi could still understand that Mitsuki hadn't wanted to end their friendship, and that if he were being honest with himself, he wished they could have met more often, spent more time together.

And not just in the past, or the here and now, but in the future too.

* * *

The masquerade ball was a lavish affair – crystal chandeliers sparkled overhead as nobles in their most colorful suits and gowns danced on the floor. Mitsuki thanked his latest dance partner, a tall nobleman in a glittering tiger patterned half-mask covered in dusty pink crystals, before making his exit from the dance floor to find a quiet corner to hide. He'd been dancing for what felt like hours, and despite his best attempts to engage and learn more about his partners, none of them had caught his attention.

A tap on his shoulder caught his attention, and Mitsuki turned to see Iori holding out a flute of champagne, face half hidden by a bejeweled navy blue half mask.

“You look thirsty,” Iori commented, as he seemingly surveyed the room. “That hair pin suits you. Your … friend … is a fine craftsman.”

Mitsuki nodded, the action sending the sound of the waves tinkling in the air, the sound bringing back memories of chilly mornings spent huddled around a small fire and laughter with the waves as their accompaniment. He had to explain where he got the hair pin from, and the most he could tell Iori was that it was a gift from a dear friend that lived near the sea.

He supposed it was true – he couldn't exactly tell Iori he'd been sneaking out of the castle once a week for the better part of six years to go meet a merman in a hidden cave tucked away in the cliffs by the coast. And with his duty as Crown Prince, he didn't dare dwell on the feelings that made “dear friend” seem like an understatement to how he truly felt deep inside.

A sudden hush fell across the hall as a tall figure had all but glided down the staircase and into the ballroom, his hair the color of the roses in the royal gardens catching in the chandelier light. A jet black half mask covered his eyes, the sides fading into sapphire blue, and then golden yellow, as though the figure had fins adorning his ears.

Mitsuki's heart skipped a beat as he realized – the fins on that mask were an exact match to the ones Nagi had on his ears. But that had to be a coincidence, Nagi was a merman, he had a tail instead of legs, there was no way he could be away from the sea, let alone here in the ballroom. And even if he could, it wasn't like he'd owned any human clothing, let alone the outfit that Mitsuki was finally seeing, as the crowd parted to let the figure approach.

Long, slim legs were covered in perfectly fitted black pants and an elaborate dress coat. The coattails had been fancifully flared and dyed, and every time the he took a step, it was as though the ocean itself was parting around his waist. The jacket itself was perfectly tailored, showing off hints of the lean muscle hiding underneath, and covered in appliques and jewels to make him sparkle as though he were walking through the fine mist of waves crashing onto the beach. He held out a hand in greeting with a flourish, and Mitsuki saw the cuffs of his dress coat were covered with golden opalescent beads.

It was enough to make Mitsuki reach for the pearl he wore under his clothes.

Mitsuki put his hand in the other's, and as the other swept down to kiss the back of his hand, Mitsuki caught a flash of familiar sparkling ocean blue eyes behind the mask and then the other asked, in an all too familiar voice, “May I have this dance?”

“N-Nagi? But-”

A million questions bubbled up all at once – just where did Nagi get the clothes? How did he learn to walk, let alone dance? And perhaps, most importantly, since when did he have  _legs_ ?

But instead of answering, Nagi just smiled, that radiant sunshine bright smile that no mask could ever hope to hide. “Yes it's me! Are you surprised?”

Surprised, if Mitsuki were capable of putting a sentence together beyond 'how did Nagi get legs', would've been an understatement. “I … but you're … how?”

“It's a secret,” Nagi replied, “but your younger brother Iori had a hand.”

Mitsuki turned to Iori, who simply took the champagne flute from Mitsuki's hand with a fond smile before nudging Mitsuki forward. “Go on.”

As they stepped out onto the ballroom floor, Mitsuki was surprised when Nagi shifted his hold to lead. “Nagi?”

“Don't worry. Iori taught me well.”

“But-”

Nagi leaned down to whisper in Mitsuki's ear. “I suppose now is a good time to mention I'm a prince of my people, too.”

“What?”

The music started, and as Nagi led Mitsuki through the dance, Nagi continued. “Yes! We live in the seas just beyond the shores of your country.”

“But you can't just leave your people,” Mitsuki countered.

Nagi just smiled again, “I'm not the first in line for the throne, but Iori tells me the only condition is you have to choose someone of noble birth, so here I am. But enough talk, we're supposed to be dancing right now.”

And they did.

By the third dance, Mitsuki was sure somewhere along the way in the preceding six years, during their weekly meet ups at the cave, he'd fallen in love without realizing it.

By the sixth, Mitsuki wished this moment would last forever – he'd be happy just dancing with Nagi for the rest of his life.

And by the end of the night, when Nagi stepped away to leave, Mitsuki held onto his wrist, a single question left on his mind. It didn't matter how Nagi got his legs, or just how Iori managed to teach Nagi to walk, let alone  _dance_ , so quickly and so gracefully.

Mitsuki gently tugged off Nagi's mask, and quietly asked, “Will you stay?”

Instead of answering right away, Nagi pulled off Mitsuki's, and swooped down for a kiss, one that left Mitsuki breathless and wishing for  _more_ .

And when they finally parted for air, Nagi cupped Mitsuki's cheek with his free hand. Mitsuki was sure his face was as flushed as Nagi's with a smile to match.

“For as long as you want me to.”

**Author's Note:**

> Nagi got his legs with the help of a very helpful pair of sea witches that lived in a secluded grotto under the sea, who thought they "absolutely had to help him" get his prince, even if Nagi's choice of prince is "shorter than my gentlemanly partner but still very handsome".
> 
> Iori had known for years about Mitsuki's little trips to the sea cave, and after he saw the pearl Nagi gifted Mitsuki that one time, he made sure to get up even _earlier_ than Mitsuki to interrogate Nagi on his intentions regarding his older brother.


End file.
